Characters
This is the main character who wakes up invisible and is often called "Bobby."
Answer: Who is Robert "Bobby" Phillips?
The thing that happens to Bobby when he wakes up at the beginning of the story.
What is he becomes invisible?
The story takes place mostly in and around Bobby’s home and this local public place.
What is the library?
The title "Things Not Seen" comes from a line in this book of the Bible referencing faith and unseen things.
What is Hebrews?
The word for being unable to be seen.
What is invisible?
She is a blind girl Bobby meets at the library and becomes friends with.
Who is Alicia Van Dorn?
Bobby visits this place where he meets Alicia.
What is the library?
Alicia’s family includes a parent with this job who studies space and stars.
What is an astronomer (Mr. Van Dorn)?
This theme involves learning to understand people who are different and forming unexpected friendships.
What is empathy or understanding others?
A short written message Bobby prints that Alicia sends him to express her feelings (also a short poem).
What is a poem / email (accept either; best answer: poem)?
Bobby's mother’s profession; she teaches this subject at the college level.
What is English (she is an English professor)?
Bobby and others suspect a defective one of these household items may have caused invisibility.
What is an electric blanket?
The characters think invisibility might be linked to this kind of space weather event.
What is a solar wind event (solar storm)?
Alicia’s blindness helps the story explore this idea about how we connect without relying on sight.
What is the importance of other senses / emotional connection?
The word for a person who helps find and support children who are not where they should be, like Mrs. Pagett.
What is a social worker?
This character is another person who became invisible the same way Bobby did.
Who is Sheila Borden?
Bobby’s parents are in this kind of accident while he is invisible.
What is a car crash?
Bobby’s parents use this as a temporary explanation to outside adults so Bobby can stay home safely.
What is they say he is on an extended trip (they lie to stall authorities)?
Bobby feels invisible in another way before actually becoming invisible; this represents this common teen feeling.
What is feeling alone or unseen (social isolation)?
A word that means something is not working correctly or is faulty, as used to describe the electric blanket.
What is defective?
Bobby’s father studies this subject and helps investigate the invisibility’s possible causes.
What is physics (Dr. David Phillips is a physics professor)?
After trying the blanket, Bobby becomes visible again with help from meeting which other person?
Who is Sheila Borden?
Name two possible causes the families consider for Bobby’s invisibility (accept both).
What are a defective electric blanket and an abnormal solar wind event?
The blanket in the story can be seen as a symbol of this, because it both hides and helps reveal the truth.
What is protection and discovery or cause and cure?
A scientific term for a stream of charged particles released from the sun, mentioned in the story as unusual.
What is solar wind?